The study, conducted in New York state from 1995 to 2005, found that two-thirds of the women changed the identity labels they had claimed at the beginning, and one-third changed labels two or more times.
"Yet, contrary to the 'transitional stage' model, more women adopted bisexual/unlabeled identities than relinquished these identities and few bisexual/unlabeled women ended up identifying as lesbian or heterosexual," writes Lisa M. Diamond, an associate professor of psychology and gender studies at the University of Utah.
The study is publisher in the January issue of Developmental Psychology published next week by the American Psychological Association.
"Interestingly, the fact that so many bisexual and unlabeled women ended up in long-term relationships contradicts the widespread stereotype that bisexual women are unable or uninterested in long-term monogamy, ostensibly because a relationship with one sex would not satisfy their desire for the other sex," she said, adding most women "possess the capacity to experience sexual desires for both sexes, under the right circumstances."
